


oh well, oh what am i to you?

by AccioInvisibilityCloak



Category: Lovely Little Losers, Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Prompt Fill, missing moment, post-MONTAGE, set during NMTD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 16:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7060426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AccioInvisibilityCloak/pseuds/AccioInvisibilityCloak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Benedick is probably the most important person in her life, apart from her parents and Hero, and Beatrice doesn’t even know what to call him. It’s like talking about it will burst their little romantic bubble, and things will be real. Serious. Potentially even heartbreaking.</p><p>Beatrice would really rather just keep kissing Ben until they both forget to worry about it."</p><p>After Ursula's picnic, Bea and Ben have a conversation and make a decision about what's been going on between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	oh well, oh what am i to you?

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the song "Lonely Neighbor" by Oh Honey. The song really doesn't have anything to do with Beadick as a ship, but I thought this line from the song was just spot-on for the theme of this ficlet. This was prompted by borntofangirl1996 on tumblr, from the same tumblr one-sentence prompts list post as the other fics I've posted lately. My prompt for this one was the sentence "I think I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified." Enjoy! <3

       ***

         It’s funny, Beatrice thinks, how you can kiss a boy in the school courtyard, stay up all night texting with him, willingly hold his hand and cuddle with him in public, and still not be sure if you’re really together. It was easy to realize that she and Ben liked each other. It’s a lot harder to put labels on it.

That doesn’t start to bother her until Ursula’s picnic, when Bea and Ben are confronted about their relationship status by all their friends at once, and they don’t know what to say. Benedick is probably the most important person in her life, apart from her parents and Hero, and Beatrice doesn’t even know what to call him. It’s like talking about it will burst their little romantic bubble, and things will be real. Serious. Potentially even heartbreaking.

Beatrice would really rather just keep kissing Ben until they both forget to worry about it.

Of course, that doesn’t last as long as Bea had hoped. When she and Ben leave the picnic together that afternoon, Meg calls after her, “Ooh, Bea, have fun with your _boyfriend!_ You can tell me the details later.“ 

Which, admittedly, kind of forces the issue.

 

         Meg is only teasing, but Beatrice can tell Ben has tensed up, because his hand in hers goes slack. It’s only for a moment, after which he squeezes her fingers a little tighter. She knows he’s never been a relationship person, any more than she has. What if he doesn’t want this? What if she’s putting her heart on the line, for nothing?

When they’re far enough away from the group as to be on their own, Ben turns to face her, releasing her hand. His lip trembles, and he clenches his now-free hand into a fist before flexing his fingers, refusing to meet her eyes.

“So… Are we… Am I really…?”

“My boyfriend?” she finishes. “…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know,” Ben says flatly. He hasn’t stopped blushing since the song videos, since the kiss… Beatrice’s lips are still tingling from that kiss. She would really like to kiss him again right now, but before she does, she needs to know for sure.

 

“Did you mean it?”

“Mean it? I-” Ben splutters, confused.

“What you said in the video… that you love me. Did you mean that?” Beatrice asks, unsure how she’s managing to stay so calm.

“Beatrice. You’re the one who just went on a tirade about how impossible it is for you to like me back, and you want to know if _I_ meant what I said? Is the idea of dating me really so awful?” Ben demands of her, and the longer he talks, the more upset she becomes. So much for calm.

“NO!” Beatrice finds herself shouting. “It’s not awful, okay? Not even close. It’s- I _want_ to, but I can’t just… Ben, I love you! I think I’m in love with you, and I’m terrified!”

“You… wow,” Ben rocks back on his feet like he’s been pushed by the force of the words she’s just said. “You’re in love with me?”

She nods.

“I love you too!” Ben says. He’s so happy, beaming, laughing, and all she wants is to be happy too. But she has to be absolutely _sure_.

He notices her frown. “Bea…”

 

       “Please just let me say this, okay?” Beatrice takes a deep breath, her arms folded protectively in front of her chest. “I don’t know how to be in love. I never thought this would happen to me, least of all with you. I thought you _hated_ me. We were friends for three months, and then in one day we just fell apart, and it really hurt. I told myself and told myself I had only ever loved the idea of you, that you were never the person I thought you were back then. But now… now I actually _know_ you. I’ve slept in your bed, I’ve bonded with your cat, I know your favorite books and TV shows and the way you take your tea. I know that you would rather do the right thing and lose all your friends, than go along with hurting Hero just to fit in. I know that even though I’ve been _awful_ to you, you dropped everything to take my side, to be my friend when there was no one else. I know that you make me so happy, no matter how much I try to deny it. And I’m so, so scared. Because, Ben, if I’m in love with you- if I let you in again… you could change your mind. You could wake up one morning and just be done with me, and I really don’t think I could handle that. I want you to be my… boyfriend, I guess. Whatever you want to call it. But I can’t do this if it’s just going to die in three days. I can’t start something with you, only to have it fall apart. I couldn’t deal with that. Not when everything else is finally starting to be okay again. And that… _that’s_ why I’m so scared to love you. I’d just really rather not lose you again, that’s all.”

 

        “Beatrice,” Ben says seriously, moving close, his hands cupping her elbows, and despite herself, she unfolds her arms. “I am not going to change my mind about you. I want more than just a casual fling. I said that stupid three days thing when I was fourteen, but I know better now. You can trust me not to make the same mistakes again. I’ve never done this before, either, and it’s scary for me too. But I know I’m in love with you. I want to be with you, for real, and it’s like you said in your song- even if it isn’t easy, I really think this is worth it. You’re worth it.”

Beatrice sighs, reaching forward for a gentle hug, and Ben hugs her back. “Okay,” she says into his shoulder. “Good. I think you’re worth it too.”

“So, then, we’re a thing now?” Ben asks hopefully. “Fully committed, official, partners in crime?”

“Definitely,” Beatrice says. “Partners in crime!”

“Wait, so this means Meg was right, doesn’t it? I’m your boyfriend now?” Ben pulls away so that he can look her in the eye, still a little nervous. “Please say yes.”

“And here I thought you didn’t like me even a little bit,” Beatrice teases.

"Oh, come on, Bea-”

“Yes!” She laughs and pulls him close again, her hands resting on his shoulders, his arms instinctively looping around her waist. “I can’t believe I’m finally saying this, but yes. Yes, we’re dating. I’m officially your girlfriend. Still sounds kind of weird, doesn’t it?”

"Extremely,” he admits. “Weird and wonderful.”

“Weird and wonderful,” she grins. “Want to come over for pizza and movies later, boyfriend?”

“You know it’s a life-changing moment when the sweetest word in that sentence actually _isn’t_ pizza,” Ben says.

Beatrice laughs. “It does sound good, doesn’t it? Boyfriend. _Boyfriend_. I, Beatrice Duke, actually have a boyfriend. I’ve given in to the horrors of societal expectation, noooo!”

“And I’ve compromised my eternal bachelorhood! How are we ever going to live this down… _girlfriend_?” Ben teases.

“I think we’ll manage,” Beatrice says, and kisses him.

 

***


End file.
